Public Hearing Testimony
LPC-26-03280
138-154 St. Felix Street, aka 11-21 Hanson Place – Brooklyn Academy of Music Historic District
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A neo-Gothic style church building designed by Halsey, McCormack & Helmer and built in 1929-1930. Application is to alter and demolish portions of the building, remove, replace and relocate doors and stained glass windows, and construct a tower.
Architects: STREKTE; FX Collaborative; Acheson Doyle Partners Architects
HDC finds the proposal to be largely inappropriate.
The site of the Methodist Church is one of the oldest built areas in Brooklyn, and the design proposal does pay respect to the original design and materiality of the church. The activation and adaptive reuse of the first floors are promising, particularly where they retain and highlight important features such as the masonry, terracotta ornamentation, stained-glass windows, and historic iconography – all present within the original historic designation. Additionally, the proposed shop space and treatment of the glasswork on the lower levels demonstrate that sensitive restoration and reuse is both possible and beneficial.
However, we feel that the introduction of a skyscraper on top of the church site is incompatible with the historic scale, form and character of the BAM Historic District. There is a danger of facadism, which undermines the integrity and the coherence of the intended architectural design. The neo-Romanesque style of low gabled roofs that emphasises the verticality of its central bay is mirrored on both the Ashland and St. Felix street facades. A high rise tower can greatly disrupt the building’s intended proportions.
We feel that the project also diminishes the prominence of One Hanson Place, aka the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, next door, which is considered an iconic skyscraper that marked a turning point in the area’s historical development.
At minimum, the applicant and their architect should do more to address the vertical seam between the Williamsburgh Savings Bank and the new tower. During the hearing for the adjoining 130 St. Felix Street in 2020, the LPC commissioners noted that the proposed building that would have been erected behind the church could seem like an addition to the church and incongruent with the rowhouses on St. Felix Street. Commissioners at that hearing felt that a tower that competed with or obscured the Williamsburgh Savings Bank would not be appropriate, and that is exactly what this tower will do.
When discussing the potential of high rise buildings in the BAM area, Commissioner Goldblum went on record to say, “I think that putting [a tower] on this block fails the most basic test of appropriateness in terms of urban scale. I don’t think that we would naturally feel that a high-rise building on this block would be appropriate in the abstract.”
We hope that the Commission can help the applicant somehow create an interesting structure that is an appropriate addition to this designated house of worship and is deferential to both St. Felix Street and One Hanson Place in a more modest and elegant way.
Action: Testimony recorded, discussion and final vote to take place in 2026.
LPC-25-11415
2060 Sedgwick Avenue – Hall of Fame, New York University – Individual Landmark
BINDING REPORT
A semi-circular open air colonnade built in 1900 and designed by McKim, Mead & White. Application is to replace limestone units with GFRC.
Architect: Superstructures
HDC believes it is better to replace the limestone in-kind with a different fastening method. It is still possible to utilize limestone units for restoration, and we believe that adding new limestone would assuage concerns over the long-term weathering appearance of GFRC.
Action: Approved with modifications – work with staff to ensure consistent treatment of stone cutting and joint treatment to minimize the appearance of the joints.
LPC-26-03576
400 Clayton Road – Liggett Hall (building 400) – Governors Island Historic District
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A portion of a neo-Georgian style barracks, administration, and training center designed by McKim, Mead, & White, built in 1929-30, and altered in the 1950s, with a dormitory wing designed by Roberts & Schaefer Co., and built in 1967-68. Application is to replace windows and doors, alter the landscape, install signage and light fixtures, and modify the seawall and waterfront pathway.
Architect: Skidmore, Ownings & Merill
HDC finds this application to be appropriate and a good example of adaptive reuse to reactivate a previously dormant building. We believe that this project offers a timely and sustainable interpretation of the existing historical structure.
However, we would like to see a more thorough engagement with the building’s Historic Structures Report (HSR), to understand how the proposed changes align with the recommendations in the HSR. It would be useful to see the whole report, to make sure that the applicant is prioritizing the history and architectural details of the building in this reimagining.
Action: Approved with modifications – refine the courtyard to match the architectural surroundings; study alternate paving materials for the electric charging spaces; reduce the curb cuts to minimize impact on the King Avenue frontage; consider darker finish to new arched service doors.
LPC-25-12509
390 Avenue of the Americas – Greenwich Village Historic District
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A bank building built in 1956. Application is to replace windows, construct an addition, and install rooftop screening.
Architect: William Leggio Architect LLC
While HDC supports the conversion of this building into housing, we find the alteration of the windows to be inappropriate, as they do not align with the building’s modern vocabulary. If keeping the original configuration is not possible, we ask that the applicant find ways to lessen the vertical breaks in the new windows.
Action: Approved with modifications – restudy the window configurations at the west and south facades to be more consistent with the features of the modern style building.
LPC-26-02997 and LPC-25-08333
18-20 Christopher Street – Greenwich Village Historic District
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS
A Federal style house built in 1827. Application is to legalize work completed in noncompliance with Landmarks Preservation Commission permit(s), including reconstructing a dormer, and installing windows and shutters and a transom grille.
HDC finds the project to be inappropriate. It appears that the applicant did not follow the proposal to restore the historic houses as approved by the LPC. We echo Village Preservation’s concerns over the long term decline of these structures and the need for the owner to do the appropriate thing here and follow the LPC’s approved plans.
Action: No Action – restudy historic dormer, fix the casement windows with staff.
